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Above:  DFDS Seaways ferry "Dana Sirena" links the UK with Denmark... Photo courtesy of DFDS Seaways.

This is easily the most relaxing way to reach Denmark, although not the fastest.  DFDS Seaways' ferry 'Dana Sirena' sails 3 or 4 times a week year-round from Harwich in Essex to Esbjerg in Denmark, with connections by InterCity train to Copenhagen.  With comfortable en suite cabins, restaurants, bars, cinema and shops on board, the voyage is a holiday in itself.  For the faster Eurostar+sleeper train option, see below.

London ► Copenhagen:

• Day 1, travel from London to Harwich by train, leaving London Liverpool Street at 14:18 and arriving Harwich 15:42.  Harwich International station is right next to the ferry terminal.  The train runs hourly, and the later 15:18 train from London will also connect, but the 14:18 departure gives plenty of time to catch the ferry.  Please double-check times at www.nationalrail.co.uk.

• Day 1, sail from Harwich to Esbjerg in Denmark aboard DFDS Seaways 'Dana Sirena'.  The Dana Sirena sails from Harwich every Wednesday, Friday & Sunday at 18:00 (increased to every second day in June, July & August ), arriving in Esbjerg at 13:00 next day (day 2).  www.dfds.co.uk will confirm sailing dates.  The Dana Sirena is a modern and well-run ship, with comfortable cabins, two restaurants, a bar, coffee shop and lounges.  On arrival at Esbjerg, take a taxi or bus or simply walk to the railway station.  Bus number 5 runs from the ferry terminal to the station every 20 minutes, bus fare 15 Kr adult 8 Kr child.

  If you've a backpack or light luggage, you can easily walk from the ferry terminal to  the pedestrianised town centre in about 10-15 minutes, from where it's another 5-10 minutes walk to the station.  The station is a historic red-brick building, not very distinctively marked.  Map of Esbjerg showing station & ferry terminal.

• Day 2, travel from Esbjerg to Copenhagen by air-conditioned InterCity train, leaving Esbjerg town station at 15:42 and arriving in Copenhagen at 18:53.  The journey is about 175 miles, right across Denmark in air-conditioned comfort, see the photos below.  You can check times for your date of travel at http://bahn.hafas.de.  You might make the 13:42 (arriving Copenhagen 16:53) if the ferry is on time and you walk quickly to the station or take a taxi, but it is better to plan for the later train.

Copenhagen ► London:

• Day 1, travel from Copenhagen to Esbjerg by modern air-conditioned InterCity train, leaving Copenhagen at 12:30 and arriving Esbjerg at 15:27.  You can check times at http://bahn.hafas.de.  Take a bus or taxi or simply walk (20-25 minutes) to the DFDS ferry terminal.  Bus number 5 runs from the station to the port every 20 minutes, fare 15 Kr.  Map of Esbjerg showing station & ferry terminal.

• Sail from Esbjerg to Harwich aboard DFDS 'Dana Sirena', leaving Esbjerg ferry terminal at 19:00 on Tuesdays, Thursdays & Saturdays, arriving Harwich at 11:30 next day (sailings are increased to every second day in June, July & August).  See www.dfds.co.uk to confirm sailing dates.  The Dana Sirena is a modern and well-run ship, with comfortable cabins, two restaurants, a bar, coffee shop and lounges, see the photos below.

• Day 2, travel from Harwich to London by train, leaving Harwich International station at 13:06 and arriving London Liverpool Street at 14:33.  The train service runs hourly, please check times for your date of travel at www.nationalrail.co.uk.  On Sundays, you must change trains at Manningtree.

On board DFDS Seaways ferry "Dana Sirena"...

The Dana Sirena is a modern and well-run ship, built in 2002.  All passengers travel in cabins, and all cabins have a private shower & toilet.  Facilities on board include the 7 Seas buffet restaurant, the Blue Riband à la carte restaurant, Café Lighthouse (with WiFi access for laptops), Columbus Lounge, and shop. The ship is child-friendly, with children's play area, child restraints for cabin berths available from reception, and highchairs available in all restaurants and lounges.  Cabins come in three classes:

• Seaways class: 1, 2, 4 or 6 berths with private shower and toilet;

• Sirena class: 1 or 2 berth with private shower and toilet, TV (BBC World, BBC Prime), complimentary minibar, breakfast included;

• Commodore Deluxe: Hotel-style rooms with double bed or two single beds, TV (BBC Prime, BBC World), small sitting area, private shower and toilet.  Commodore cabins are on their own deck with exclusive access to the Commodore Lounge which has sea views, complimentary tea, coffee, snacks, beer and (in the evening) free wine and spirits, PC with internet access and WiFi access if you have your own laptop.  Commodore Deluxe is like travelling to Denmark aboard a floating hotel, highly recommended..!

Crossing the North Sea with DFDS Seaways aboard the Dana Sirena...		Commodore class cabin with double bed, TV, shower & toilet.  Yes, that's an ice bucket on the table with a half bottle of sparkling wine....		Sirena class cabin with TV, shower, toilet & minibar.

On board the Danish InterCity train from Esbjerg to Copenhagen...

All aboard for Copenhagen..!		Inside the air-conditioned IC3 train.

Fares:

• London to Harwich by train costs £26 Saver return or £25 full fare one-way.  Advance reservation isn't necessary, just buy tickets at the station on the day of travel.  Alternatively, if you book with DFDS Seaways by phone, they can sell you a London-Harwich train ticket with your ferry ticket for a special price of around £12 one-way or £24 return.

• Harwich to Esbjerg by ferry starts at around £106 return per person for two people sharing a 2-bed Seaways class cabin with private toilet and shower or £218 return for one person with exclusive use of a cabin.  To check sailing dates, times and fares for different types of cabin, visit www.dfds.co.uk.  DFDS Seaways now has an airline-style pricing system so prices vary, book early and avoid peak times to get the cheapest fares.  Children under 16 travel at reduced fare.  DFDS won't now let solo passengers share cabins, the whole cabin must be booked.  All passengers must have cabins.

• Esbjerg to Copenhagen by intercity train costs 297 Kr (£27) one way, 594 Kr (£54) return for adults, or 149 Kr (£14) each way for children and seniors over 65.  Advance reservation is possible but not necessary, tickets can be bought at the station on the day and you can just hop on.  Alternatively, if you book with DFDS by phone they can sell you a train ticket with your ferry ticket, at the same prices.  You can check fares at www.dsb.dk (Danish Railways).

How to buy tickets:

• The cheapest way to book the ferry is online at www.dfds.co.uk.  Alternatively, call DFDS Seaways on 0870 5 333 000 (there's a £10 booking fee for phone bookings).  Phone lines are open 08:30-20:00 Mondays-Fridays, 08:30-17:00 Saturdays, 10:00-16:00 Sundays. 

• You can buy your London-Harwich & Esbjerg-Copenhagen train tickets at the station on the day of travel.  No reservation is necessary, and there's no price advantage in buying tickets in advance.

• If you want to save queuing at the ticket office, you can buy the London-Harwich ticket online at www.nationalrail.co.uk and the Esbjerg-Copenhagen ticket (with seat reservation) at www.dsb.dk, the Danish Railways website.  This is in Danish, but it's not difficult to work out how to use it if you're familiar with the way such booking systems work.  You pay by credit card then print out your own ticket.  remember that Copenhagen in Danish is 'Kobenhavn'.

• Alternatively, if you book by phone, DFDS can add both UK and Esbjerg-Copenhagen tickets to your ferry fare, including making a seat reservation on the Esbjerg-Copenhagen train.  Ask DFDS about special cheap train fares from other UK stations to Harwich, too.

Taking Eurostar to Brussels and connecting trains on to Copenhagen is the fastest way to get to Denmark without flying.  There are two good options daily:  Lunchtime Eurostar to Brussels, connecting train to Cologne, then overnight on the Cologne-Copenhagen City Night Line sleeper train;  or early evening Eurostar to Brussels, Brussels to Hamburg overnight on the City Night Line sleeper train, then connecting EuroCity train from Hamburg to Copenhagen next day.  Both options are explained below.

London ► Copenhagen  (via Cologne)

• Travel from London to Brussels by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 14:34 and arriving in Brussels Midi at 17:33.

• Travel from Brussels to Cologne by high-speed Thalys train, leaving Brussels Midi at 19:25 and arriving in Cologne at 21:45.

• Travel from Cologne to Copenhagen on the City Night Line overnight train 'Borealis', leaving Cologne at 22:28 and arriving in Copenhagen at 09:59 next morning.  This train has a sleeping-car, couchettes & seats, see the photos & information below.

Introducing the Cologne-Copenhagen City Night Line sleeper train...

The Cologne-Copenhagen overnight train is one of the German Railway's excellent City Night Line sleeper trains.  It has a modern sleeping-car (1, 2 & 3-berth deluxe rooms with private shower and toilet, 1, 2 & 3-berth standard rooms with washbasin, there's a shower at the end of the corridor and all rooms have power-points for laptop computers), modern air-conditioned couchettes (choose between a berth in a 4- or 6-berth compartment), and ordinary seats (not recommended).  Inclusive fares are charged covering travel plus sleeping accommodation.  Click for more pictures and information about this train.

1, 2 or 3 bed sleeper: The most comfortable & civilised option, standard with washbasin or deluxe with shower & toilet.		4-berth couchettes:  Ideal for families, much more space per person than 6-berth couchettes.		6-berth couchettes:  A very economical option, far better than a seat for just a few euros more...		Above:  One of the new 'Comfortline' sleeping-cars used on the Cologne-Copenhagen City Night Line sleeper train.  More pictures...

Copenhagen ► London  (via Cologne)

• Travel from Copenhagen to Cologne on the excellent City Night Line overnight train 'Borealis', leaving Copenhagen at 18:53 and arriving Cologne at 06:14 next morning.  This train has a modern air-conditioned sleeping-car, couchettes and seats, see the photos & information above.

• On Mondays-Saturdays, a high-speed Thalys train leaves Cologne at 07:14, arriving Brussels Midi at 09:35.  On Sundays, a high-speed Thalys train leaves Cologne at 07:40, arriving Brussels at 10:01.

• A Eurostar leaves Brussels Midi at 11:59 and arrives London St Pancras at 13:03.

Fares  (via Cologne)

1. London to Cologne  by Eurostar + Thalys:	London to Cologne by Eurostar+ Thalys or ICE starts at £79 return.  Book in advance to get the cheapest fares, as the fare rises as cheaper seats are sold.  One-way fares will probably be more than a return, so check return fares and throw away the return half if necessary.
2. Cologne to Copenhagen:  by sleeper train:	In a seat	In a couchette		In the sleeping-car (standard room *)
		6-berth	4-berth	3-berth	2-berth	single berth
Savings fare one-way:	£21	£36	£44	£51	£59	£103
Savings fare return:	£42	£72	£88	£102	£118	£206
Normal fare one-way:	£88	£99	£107	£114	£127	£159
Normal fare return:	£176	£198	£214	£228	£254	£318
Child under 14 with own berth:	£8	£15	£22	£29	£37	£76
Child under 6 without own berth:	Child under 6 sharing a berth travels free...

Savings fare = Special cheap fare, book in advance, limited availability, no refunds, no changes to travel plans. 

Normal fare = fully flexible, refundable, buy any time.

You can check fares for the Cologne-Copenhagen train (and book online) at www.bahn.de/citynightline, English button top right.

Note that couchettes are sold individually in shared 4 or 6 berth compartments, but as from 9 December 2007, only whole sleeper compartments on this route can be booked, it will no longer be possible for solo passengers to book one sleeper berth in a 2 or 3 bed compartment and share with other passengers.

* A deluxe sleeper with shower & toilet is 10-20% more than standard sleeper.

How to buy tickets online:

The cheapest and easiest way to book is online.  You need to use two separate websites, so it's a good idea to do a dry run on both sites first to check availability and fares before booking for real.  Remember you can't book until reservations open, 90 days before departure.

• Step 1, go to www.bahn.de/citynightline (the German Railways night train site) and select 'English' top right.  Now book a sleeper or couchette ticket from Cologne (Köln Hbf) to Copenhagen (Koebenhvn H) and back, looking for the cheap 'Savings' fares ('Sparnight' in German).  You pay online and print out your own ticket in .PDF format on your own PC printer.  Easy!

• Step 2, go to either www.raileurope.co.uk or www.eurostar.com and using the train times on this page as your guide, book a ticket from London to Cologne & back (Cologne is listed as Koln on the Eurostar website).  It's a good idea to try both of these websites, as sometimes one is cheaper than the other, for some strange reason.  Bookings for Eurostar+Thalys open 90 days (3 months) before departure, and the further ahead you book, the more likely you are to see the cheapest fares.  Tickets can be posted to any UK address or collected at St Pancras on departure.  One-way London-Cologne fares are usually more expensive than a cheap return, so for one-way trips buy a return ticket and throw away the return half.   Make sure you allow plenty of time for the connection in Cologne, preferably between 1½ & 2 hours when connecting with a sleeper train.  It's obvious, but remember that your return departure date from Cologne will be the day after your departure date from Copenhagen!

• Occasionally, if there are no affordable London-Cologne through fares shown, it can be worth using www.raileurope.co.uk and trying to split the journey into separate London-Brussels & Brussels-Cologne sections, looking for cheap fares for each leg.  First, ask for 'Brussels' to 'Cologne' and your dates of travel.  After booking the Thalys from Brussels to Cologne, click 'continue shopping' and book a Eurostar from London to Brussels and back to connect.  Make sure you allow for the 30 minute Eurostar check-in at Brussels on the return journey.

• Advice on buying connecting train tickets from other UK towns & cities

How to buy tickets by phone:

You may prefer to book by phone.  The recommended UK agencies to book this journey are Deutsche Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66  (lines open 09:00-17:00 Monday-Friday) or www.europeanrail.com on 020 7619 1083.  Click here for a list of agencies and other useful information on how to book.

London ► Copenhagen  (via Hamburg)

The train journey from London takes less than 24 hours, and is daily year-round.

• Travel from London to Brussels by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 18:35 (18:31 on Saturdays & Sundays), arriving Brussels Midi 21:33.

• Travel from Brussels to Hamburg overnight, leaving Brussels Midi at 23:41 arriving at Hamburg (Hauptbahnhof) at 08:32 next morning.  This train is one of the German Railway's excellent City Night Line sleeper trains, the 'Andromeda', with sleepers, couchettes & seats, see the photos & information below.

• Travel from Hamburg to Copenhagen by air-conditioned EuroCity train, leaving Hamburg (Hauptbahnhof) at 09:28 and arriving Copenhagen at 14:09.  An interesting feature of this journey is that your EuroCity train will be shunted onto a ferry for the sea crossing from Puttgarten in Germany to Rodby in Denmark.  This train is an excellent German ICE train.

Introducing the City Night Line sleeper train from Brussels to Hamburg...

The Brussels-Hamburg overnight train is one of the German Railway's excellent City Night Line sleeper trains.  Called the 'Andromeda', it has brand-new sleeping-cars (1, 2 & 3-berth deluxe rooms with private shower and toilet, 1, 2 & 3-berth standard rooms with washbasin, shower at the end of the corridor, all rooms have powerpoints for laptop computers), modern air-conditioned couchettes (choose between a berth in a 4- or 6-berth compartment), and ordinary seats (not recommended).  Inclusive fares are charged covering travel plus sleeping accommodation.  Click for more pictures and information about this train.

1, 2 or 3 bed sleeper: The most comfortable & civilised option, with proper beds & washbasin.		4-berth couchettes:  Ideal for families, much more space per person than 6-berth couchettes.		6-berth couchettes:  A very economical option, far better than a seat for just a few euros more...		One of the new 'Comfortline' sleeping-cars on the Brussels-Hamburg City Night Line sleeper train 'Andromeda'.  More pictures...

Copenhagen ► London  (via Hamburg)

• Travel from Copenhagen to Hamburg by air-conditioned EuroCity train leaving Copenhagen at 11:45 and arriving Hamburg (Hauptbahnhof) at 16:16.  The train is shunted onto a ferry at Rodby for the sea crossing to Puttgarten, an interesting experience.

  This train is an excellent German ICE train.

• Travel overnight from Hamburg to Brussels leaving Hamburg (Hauptbahnhof) at 20:24 and arriving Brussels Midi at 06:11.  Sleepers (1- 2- & 3-bed standard rooms with washbasin or deluxe rooms with en suite shower/toilet) and couchettes (4-bunk & 6-bunk) are available.  Click for more pictures and information about this train.

• Travel from Brussels to London by Eurostar.  On Mondays to Saturdays, a Eurostar leaves Brussels Midi at 06:59 arriving London St Pancras at 07:55.  On Sundays, a Eurostar leaves Brussels Midi at 07:59 arriving London St Pancras at 08:56.

Fares  (via Hamburg):

1. London to Brussels  by Eurostar:	Return fares start at £59 2nd class,  £149 1st class.  One-way fares start at £44 2nd class.  Advice on one-way Eurostar fares.  Child, youth & senior fares
2. Brussels to Hamburg by  sleeper train (per person)	In a seat	In a couchette		In the sleeping-car (standard room)
		6-bunk	4-bunk	3-bed	2-bed	1-bed
Savings fare, one way:	29 euro (£21)	39 euro (£28)	49 euro (£35)	-	-	-
Savings fare, return:	58 euro (£42)	78 euro (£56)	98 euro (£70)	-	-	-
Normal fare, one-way:	101 euro (£72)	113 euro (£81)	117 euro (£84)	128 euro (£91)	144 euro (£103)	237 euro (£169)
Normal fare, return:	202 euro (£144)	226 euro (£162)	234 euro (£168)	256 euro (£182)	288 euro (£206)	474 euro (£338)
Child 0-14 with own berth:	51 euro (£36)	57 euro (£41)	59 euro (£42)	64 euro (£46)	72 euro (£51)	-
Child 0-5 (inclusive):	Child 0-5 sharing berth travels free...
3. Hamburg to Copenhagen	2nd class, special fare: £21 one-way, £42 return (limited availability, book in advance)  2nd class, normal flexible fare:  £56 one-way, £112 return  1st class, normal flexible fare:  about £86 one-way, £172 return 1st class.

Savings fare = Special cheap fare, book in advance, limited availability, no refunds, no changes to travel plans. 

Normal fare = fully flexible, refundable, buy any time.

Couchettes are sold individually in shared 4 or 6 berth compartments, but as from 9 December 2007, only whole sleeper compartments on this route can be booked, it will no longer be possible for solo passengers to book one sleeper berth in a 2 or 3 bed compartment and share with other passengers.  Call DB's UK office for prices for sleepers with private shower.

How to buy tickets online...

The cheapest and easiest way to book this journey is online, although you have to use three separate websites.  Do a 'dry run' first on all three sites to check prices and availability before booking for real.

• Step 1, go to www.bahn.de/citynightline, which is the German Railways official sleeper train website.  Select 'English' top right, then click through to the online booking system.

• Book from Brussels Midi to Hamburg and back by the overnight sleeper train.  Availability of both cheap 'Savings' fares ('Sparnight' in German) and fully-flexible normal fares will be shown, for each type of seat, couchette & sleeper.  You pay by credit card and print out your own tickets in .pdf format.  Easy!  Note that the prices shown on www.bahn.de/citynightline are in euros, and are the total cost for all passengers selected, not per person.  Brussels appears as 'Bruxelles Midi'.

• Step 2, now go to www.eurostar.com to book your connecting Eurostar tickets between London and Brussels, using the Eurostar times above as a guide.  By all means book an earlier Eurostar outwards, or a later Eurostar on the way back, if this has cheaper seats available of if you'd like to stop off in Brussels for a while.  Return fares start at £59 return, but for one-way fares on Eurostar, see this advice.  Eurostar tickets can be sent to any UK address, or picked up at the station if you're travelling at short notice or booking from overseas.

• Step 3, now go to the German Railways main website http://bahn.hafas.de, use the journey planner to bring up the connecting Hamburg-Copenhagen trains shown in the train times above, and buy the ticket.  It will show if any cheap special fares are available.  Tickets can be sent to any address, or in some cases printed out yourself.

How to buy tickets by phone...

If you'd prefer to book all these trains by phone, simply call Deutsche Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66 (lines open 09:00-17:00 Monday-Friday, no booking fee, £3 credit card fee), or a booking agency such as European Rail on 020 7619 1083 (lines open 09:00-17:00 Monday-Friday, £25 booking fee applies).

The Thomas Cook European timetable has train & ferry times for every country in Europe, plus currency & climate information.  Published since 1873 and costing £13.50, it's essential for any serious traveller and an inspiration for armchair travellers.  More information on what the Thomas Cook Timetable contains.  You can buy the latest monthly edition online at www.thomascooktimetables.com with worldwide delivery, or buy it in person from any UK branch of Thomas Cook (ask at the bureau de change).  Or buy the independent traveller's edition from Amazon.co.uk:  Winter 2007/8 edition (December 2007 to June 2008) or Summer 2008 edition (June to December 2008). 

The Thomas Cook Rail Map of Europe is the best and most comprehensive map of train routes right across Europe, from Portugal in the west to Istanbul, Moscow & Ukraine in the east, from Finland in the north to Sicily & Crete in the south.  High speed & scenic routes are highlighted.  Highly recommended!  Buy online at www.amazon.co.uk (worldwide delivery).  See an extract from the map.

Find a hotel in Copenhagen or anywhere in Denmark...

It's easy to book hotels online to go with your train tickets.  Here are some of the best websites to use:

• www.laterooms.com lists a huge number of hotels in any given town or city on a single page showing price and availability for your specific dates.  As its name suggests, Laterooms gets big discounts for hotel rooms booked within 3 months of travel, making it ideal for anyone booking train travel within the normal 90 days booking horizon.

• www.venere.com has a more personal approach than Laterooms.  On Venere, the price you see is the price you pay, no hidden extras, and you simply pay the hotel when you get there.  After you've booked, you can change or cancel your reservation in line with the hotel's own change and cancellation policy.

• www.tripadvisor.com is a good place to browse independent travellers' reviews of the main hotels.

Search all the main hotel booking sites...

The search box below links to www.hotelscombined.com, a free search tool which checks all the main hotel booking sites (Expedia, Travelocity, LateRooms, Opodo, Venere, Asiarooms and many others) to find just about the widest range of hotels with the cheapest rates on the net.

Powered by Hotels Combined

Backpacker hostels...

• www.hostelbookers.com:  If you're on a tight budget, don't forget about backpacker hostels.  Hostelbookers offers online booking of cheap private rooms or dorm beds in backpacker hostels in Copenhagen and most other European cities at rock-bottom prices.

Compare quotes from both Direct Line & Columbus...